Foundations of Security Awareness

This unit establishes foundational principles and organizational considerations for designing a security awareness program. Learners will explore culture, stakeholders, budgeting, logistics, communications, and the role of phishing simulations to prepare for program implementation and measurement in subsequent units.

Learning Objectives

• Analyze organizational culture and business drivers to prioritize security awareness topics and identify relevant subcultures and personal awareness needs
• Apply stakeholder and role analysis to identify security ambassadors, executive champions, and appropriate contacts in CISO, HR, Legal, Communications, and physical security functions
• Demonstrate the ability to design core components of a security awareness program—including budget estimates, logistics, communications tools, gamification elements, and phishing simulation planning—aligned with compliance requirements
• Evaluate costs, hidden expenses, funding strategies, and measurement approaches to build a justified, sustainable awareness program and prepare for implementation and continuous improvement